Italy to bring new law to force supermarkets to donate unsold food

Italian government is all set to introduce a law that would check the supermarkets from throwing away unused food. The new legislation will make grocery stores donate their waste food to charity organizations. This will make Italy the second European nation after France to ban supermarkets from throwing away or spoiling unsold food. Italy faces a €12bn waste problem which the government plans to tackle through the new legislation. The bill which has a bipartisan support is anticipated to pass the lower house of parliament before a final vote in the Senate of the Republic. Italian government would give incentives for supermarkets that will participate in the food donation activities. Whereas the French government said it will impose fines for the supermarkets that spoil or throw away unsold food. According to the newly proposed legislation, the businesses that donate food to charity will get reductions in rubbish taxes. Any Italian bar, restaurant or supermarket looking to donate food must declare donations in advance. Italy’s Agriculture Minister, Maurizio Martina, told La Repubblica: “We are making it more convenient for companies to donate than to waste. We currently recover 550 million tonnes of excess food each year but we want to arrive at one billion in 2016.” The new bill will amend as many as 17 articles regarding food safety regulation which will allow the businesses to donate food after its ‘best before’ date is expired. Arash Derambarsh , the French politician who is demanding to pass EU-wide regulation that will force supermarkets to donate waste food, has previously told The Independent: “The problem is simple – we have food going to waste and poor people who are going hungry”.

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